Fluid delivery devices such as ink jet printers typically include a fluid path from a fluid supply to a nozzle path. The nozzle path terminates in a nozzle opening from which fluid drops are ejected. The fluid drop ejection is controlled by pressurizing fluid in the fluid path with an actuator, which may be, for example, a piezoelectric deflector, a thermal bubble jet generator, or an electrostatically deflected element. A typical fluid delivery head has an array of fluid paths with corresponding nozzle openings and associated actuators, and drop ejection from each nozzle opening can be independently controlled. In the example of a drop-on-demand ink jet print head, each actuator is fired to selectively eject an ink drop at a specific pixel location of an image as the print head and a printing substrate are moved relative to one another. The fluid in the fluid conduit of a fluid delivery system is usually kept at a negative pressure to keep the fluid from oozing over the nozzle plate. In addition, the fluid nozzles are required to be primed by the fluid for proper fluid drop ejection.